After anxiously waiting to see how well the team would play in a game-like environment, Russellville Cyclone football coach Jeff Holt got to see that Thursday night as the Cyclones held their annual Red-Black Game at Cyclone Stadium.

What Holt saw in Russellville's first game-like action gave him reason to be pleased.

"I thought we played hard," Holt said. "You always want the kids to play hard and give a good effort, so I was proud of that. It was the first time we stepped on the field and played under the lights. Overall, I was pleased with the effort."

Coming as no surprise to Holt, the defense dominated the game. The first-string defense allowed only 44 yards and came away with two interceptions while not giving up any points. Heath Whorton and Josh Cloud picked off the two passes as the RHS starting defense frequently applied heavy pressure on the quarterback.

"I was very pleased with the defense," Holt said. "We know the defense is going to be good. It's going to be tough to run on us. I really liked how the defensive line played. I saw Ruger Estes and Zac Small back there (pressuring the quarterback) a lot.

"I liked that we created turnovers. That's something we've got to do in our league (AAAAA-West Conference)."

When the first-string offense stepped on the field, Holt liked what he saw there as well. Some of the group's play even came as somewhat of a surprise to the RHS coach.

"I thought we were sharp on offense," Holt said. "It seemed like we ran our plays quicker than we have done in practice. That was good to see. That's what you want because you want an up-tempo game."

The first-string offense gained 195 yards during its time on the field. Quarterback Eli Cranor was 7-of-11 passing for 104 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.

The starting offense scored three touchdowns in all, as it was not kept out of the end zone any during the scrimmage.

Running back Jeremy Timmons, who was playing in the place of Hunt Mitchner, received praise from Holt. Timmons ran for 68 yards on six carries, including a 27-yard touchdown run.

"Jeremy Timmons stepped in for Hunt (Mitchner) and did a great job," Holt said. "(Wednesday) was his first day to really take snaps at running back. I was really impressed with him. He ran hard and did a great job."

Special teams was another area Holt said Russellville wanted to work on. That turned out to his liking as well.

"I thought our kickers did a great job kicking the football," Holt said. "I was proud of the effort there."

As is expected from about any coach during the preseason, Holt said there are areas to work on after seeing the players perform in Thursday night's scrimmage.

"The main thing we need to work on is conditioning," Holt said. "That's always the first thing right out of the chute you have to work on. We've also got to be more physical up front both offensively and defensively."

The varsity scrimmage was preceded by both of the Russellville Junior High squads (East and West) playing against the RHS sophomores.

Russellville West started the scrimmage and had several good runs by Kenneth Golden to start the contest. West quarterback Madison Baird and Terrell Carter connected for a long pass as the West Whirlwinds looked to be driving. However, Russellville's Kyler Lee halted the drive with a long interception return for a touchdown.

The West 'Winds were not able to put any points on the board, but West coach Joey Jones said not everything was negative.

"I saw some good things out of them," Jones said. "The defense is a little ahead of the offense right now. That is pretty much expected. We're going to have to stay on our blocks, though. We got a little tired and started making mental mistakes."

Jones praised the effort of the players and liked what he saw from some of the skilled-position people.

"I thought Terrell Carter did real well catching the ball," Jones said. "Kenneth Golden and A.J. Broadnax looked good in the open field at times. Overall, I liked what I saw."

Russellville East was not able to score any points either, but East coach Matt Warrick still commended the way the East 'Winds played.

"I Think we played real well," Warrick said. "We're kind of short on numbers. I told the kids before the game that it would really be a test of character when they got tired. They came out and did well, though."

Garrett Loyd led the East's offense with several long runs. Although they weren't able to score, the East 'Winds did sustain long drives and threatened to put up points.

The Cyclones, as well as Russellville East and West, will be back in action Tuesday night for another scrimmage. The RJHS squads will compete against Clarksville and Pulaski Academy Junior Highs, and RHS will follow with a scrimmage against Clarksville. Action is set to begin at 6 p.m. at Cyclone Stadium.